Love, Loss, Gaining & Regaining
by iPreferTrashPanda
Summary: (Post HTTYD 2 AU, contains elements of THW later on.) Valka gets some shocking news that she isn't prepared for. Is anyone?
1. Chapter 1

_Alpha's Nest, two months after Drago's assault_

Stoick didn't know what happened, well.. He knew what happened. Losing Hiccup as he wandered off, tracking him to a dragon's nest, meeting Valka again, their time alone together among the geysers on the island, going back to her cave to meet Gobber and Hiccup, the two amputees in the midst of talking about the dragons they had seen. The song and dance he shared with Valka, the attack on the Nest by Drago, Hiccup not being able to stop his dragon Toothless, from blasting him with a plasma shot. Stoick took the blast for Hiccup to save his life, and heard the cries of the valkyries and the golden doors to Odin's Great Hall, but he wasn't ready. He wasn't ready to continue his life without Val by his side, he was going back, he... He broke through the water on the edge of the Alpha's Nest, he looked to the smoldering and ruined landmass. It was better than nothing, Stoick decided, seeing the ships that were still docked on the shore. Perfect, he could sail home.

"Well," Stoick got to the shore and wrung out his cloak, turning back at the still water. "Looks like I'll have to sail back to Berk.." He said, shivering as the still air hung on his cold skin. He turned back to see the mountain. No, it wasn't a mountain. It was the dead body of the Bewilderbeast.

Stoick didn't consider himself an emotional man, growing up on Berk normally turned out cold unfeeling Vikings when it came to death, but he felt tears stinging his eyes. This mighty beast had protected them all from Drago's siege, the attack on the mountain, and died. He removed his helmet from his head as a show of respect.

"You great, big, beautiful, warrior beast you." Words spilled from Stoick's mouth before he could process them. "Thank you, for protecting my Val for all these years. For keepin' her safe and warm and.." Stoick chuckled, "an' well fed. Mustn't 'ave been too hard. She eats less than Hiccup." He placed a hand on the Alpha's muzzle, feeling the molting, cracked scales against his hand. "May they have a grand feast to welcome you to Valhalla, you mighty warrior. My battle brother." A smile crossed his face. "I hope to meet you again."

He turned to the ships, sighing as he had a lot of work ahead of him. He took a step, hearing and feeling crunch beneath his foot, looking down to see Val's mask, and Hiccup's not too far away, laying there. He picked both up, as well as Valka's shield, and set them in one of the less rundown ships. This was going to be a long journey home. To his son Hiccup, his friends and community. To his Valka. Valka..

* * *

_Two months later, Berk_

"Whoo!" Valka and Cloudjumper swerved in and out of trees, happy to be in the air after a recent rainfall. There was a shadow to their left, which Valka saw. "Faster, Cloudjumper!" The dragon shot up, happily roaring as it spun, Valka running along him until he straightened up to allow Valka to stand on his back again. "Yes!" She threw her hands up with a large smile.

The dark shape shot up by then, revealing it to be Hiccup and Toothless as the dragon evened out his flight pattern.

"Nice one, mom." Hiccup congratulated his mother, a smile on his face.

Valka smiled at him, "thank you, Hiccup. I wouldn't be able to beat you and your friends in races, for these past four months, if it wasn't for Cloudjumper and his trust in me." She knelt down and patted the space between Cloudjumper's horns causing him to purr.

"Show offs!" It was Astrid, smiling as her and the others broke through the treeline.

Valka and Hiccup started laughing, deep laughter from deep in their stomachs, until Valka leaned over Cloudjumper's wing and began to barf up her breakfast.

"Again?" Hiccup asked, concerned. His mother had been coughing up whatever she'd been managing to scarf down for the past few weeks and it was becoming concerning.

"'m alrigh'." Valka said hurriedly, ignoring Cloudjumper's glare up at her. He was apparently out of concern and quickly becoming annoyed with her lying.

"We should get you to Gothi though, just to be safe." Hiccup said, looking at his mother.

Valka didn't say anything, a stubborn frown on her face from both the vomit taste and being told what to do by her son.

"I'll go with you." Astrid offered, smiling at the older woman. "I've been meaning to thank Gothi for those herbs that cured my sickness some time ago."

Valka sighed, looking at her. "Alright."

Soon, they were flying to Gothi's hut, Astrid trying to distract Valka with talk about dragons or the Nest all the way there. Valka wasn't exactly excited to see Gothi, the two knocking heads constantly during her time as the woman's apprentice, during her time growing up. This all happened before Hiccup's birth and her capture by Cloudjumper, finding herself worried about what Gothi would say.

"Too much mead, too much grief. Too frail and sickly, too much like the hiccup you were born as. Eat before you die of starvation." All of these were likely what she was going to hear, perhaps not in that order but Val had a feeling she would hear a lot of them.

The two had soon arrived at Gothi's hut, a small smile coming to Valka's face as she and Astrid dismounted their dragons to knock on the door. Valka became distracted, lost in a world of barely over two decades ago when she would come here to learn from Gothi in an attempt not to be ridiculed so much for not killing dragons. Even the years before that, when Gothi would always seem to be stuck with Valka. A gentle tap to her staff, which she realized was from another staff whose wielder was much smaller than she, brought her back to the present.

"Hello, Gothi." Valka greeted her former teacher with a respectful bow, only to be smacked upside the head. She didn't cry out, just groaned in an unpleasant manner before walking inside.

Astrid watched from her place in a chair that sat at a table, wincing in sympathy to her soon-to-be mother-in-law when the woman was struck, as the two made their way to the table.

Gothi looked at Astrid first, curious. Was she alright?

"I'm fine Gothi, I had some time and I decided to use it to thank you for those herbs you gave me a while ago." Astrid said, giving Gothi a respectful bow from her spot.

Gothi nodded to her, a gentle smile on her face, before turning to Valka with a curious expression.

"What?" Valka asked, looking at her. "I do nigh have a problem that rest won't fix-" her lower jaw was grabbed, hard by hands smaller than her own, and her body pulled down so she was face to face with Gothi. A staring contest ensued, for a few tense minutes until Valka pried Gothi's hands away from her face and rushed to the door, flinging it open to vomit just off of the porch and onto the rocks far below.

Back inside, Gothi looked at Astrid, gesturing to Valka with a curious look as the younger woman poured them some tea.

"I honestly don't know how long she's been doing that, maybe a few weeks at best." Astrid said, looking from the still barfing Valka to Gothi with concern. "Do you think she's alright?"

Gothi looked long and hard at Valka, who was shaking as she stopped vomiting. Her thin frame being supported by the staff she held, walking back inside on shaking legs. Wait. It wasn't entirely out of the realm of possibility, but..

She waited for Valka to collapse into a chair before taking her tea and blowing the steam into Valka's face. She watched as Valka began to gag, tears in her eyes as she had nothing more in her to puke back up. That could easily be explained, Gothi decided, before seeing Valka rubbing her chest with that same pained face.

Astrid, taking a drink of her tea as to not be rude to Gothi for being hospitable, watched Valka with interest before sitting up with her eyes wide. As though she finally caught onto something. "How long?" She asked excitedly, taking her hands.

Valka looked, was insulted the right word? "Astrid, there is no way I'm- I mean look at me! I'm past my prime for baring children! I barely bared Hiccup!" Valka was panting, feeling the pain in her breasts again. She glanced over to Gothi, who was calmly and slowly sipping her tea with what looked to be a smile on her face behind the mug. "I dislike this conversation and what it implies. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a Stormcutter who needs to be fed. Good day, Gothi, Astrid."

And with that, she left, her staff leaning on the chair where she sat as she had forgotten it.

Astrid looked from the closing door to where Valka had sat, and then to Gothi. "I'm so sorry about that. I'm going to go after her. Thank you for the tea and your time, Gothi." Astrid politely thanked the elder as she grabbed Valka's staff before she left.

Valka and Cloudjumper were high in the sky, flying slowly as the Stormcutter munched on a mouthful of fish. At his flyer's sigh, Cloudjumper turned his head, several halves of fish hanging from his large mouth.

"No thank you Cloudjumper, I'm not hungry love." She said, laying on the dragon's back. She patted his back as the large reptile swallowed the mouthful of fish, making her feel nauseated as she felt his muscles move while he swallowed his meal.

Valka was, metaphorically speaking, chewing on what had happened at Gothi's hut. She wasn't going to deny that for years she had found herself wondering what life would have been like had she been able to conceive another child. Not good, as she had had one miscarriage in the earliest days of her marriage to Stoick before Hiccup came. So, she had pushed that desire aside, until she met Stoick twenty years later. And that passionate time they spent among the heated geyser patch, it made her blush even now.

She sighed again, staring at the clouds the two passed into while she absentmindedly patted her dragon's back. "What if I am? Could it be possible?" She asked out loud, not addressing or invoking the Gods but asking herself. "If I am, how will I find the strength to go through with it? What if it doesn't survive?" She pushed herself up to look at her stomach, wondering if it really was a possibility that she was with child and it wasn't just unresolved grief. It wasn't unusual for women Valka's age to become pregnant, Hel, it was often celebrated.. but for a woman her size at this age? It could very well be a death sentence and-

The mixture of purring and grumbling of Cloudjumper, which was a strange collection of noises she hadn't heard from him before, caught her off guard. Valka sat up fully, looking at him now facing her again, head turned to her while he remained in one spot flapping his wings.

"I am pregnant, aren't I?" She asked him as though he had been in counsel with Freyja, the goddess of many a part of Viking belief. A soft croon was his answer, leading her to laugh in a watery manner. Trust a dragon, an island of them, to know she was pregnant and soon become more docile with her than usual.

Happy tears became sorrowful wails and mournful screams. She, a mother of forty years old, whose son that was now her oldest, was a full grown man of twenty years old and the village chief, while she was with the child of her dead husband. How could she do this? She was barely a mother to Hiccup, in both memories and being there, so how could she raise a bairn with no prior knowledge of what to do?

By the time her tears stopped, the sun was setting and she was too tired to care about Cloudjumper's slow descent from the clouds, that he had given her the dignity of crying within the safety of the clouds before slowly coming down to home.

When they touched down on the ground, Valka slid down Cloudjumper's back and landing gently on the grass. After scratching under Cloudjumper's chin and a soft goodnight given, she slowly crept up the steps and just as slowly pushed the door open.

She noticed that Astrid and Hiccup were waiting for her, saying nothing as she removed her boots and left them by the door where her staff stay standing. With her head facing forwards but her eyes looking down at her feet, she walked to the table and sat.

Not a word between the three was spoken, as Valka registered a large cauldron hanging over the hearth and smelling stew of some sort coming from it. She decided that Astrid and Hiccup were waiting for her to speak first, but she kept her eyes on her hands. Shame and fear behind tired, raw eyes. What was she supposed to say? That she was with a wee bairn? That Hiccup was going to be an older brother? How her and Stoick's first time together in two decades led to- a shaky exhale left her, the silence making her feel cornered and afraid.

Astrid looked at Hiccup, a soft expression on her face as she watched her fiance watch and wait for his mother to gather herself before speaking. Truth be told, Hiccup was lost too. His father was dead, his mother was still grieving and now this. Astrid told him that Gothi had determined that Valka was with a bairn, which explained her frequent nausea spells and vomiting episodes. He didn't know what to say to make it better, if he even could make the very real situation of his middle aged mother being pregnant with his younger sibling better at all...

To Hel with it, Astrid decided. If neither was going to put on their adult pants and talk about it, she'd have to be the responsible one and start the conversation.

"Valka.." Astrid started slowly, gaining the attention of the mother and son. "I.. well, look.." she sighed, this being more of a conversation between Valka and Hiccup but both were too lost to begin. "I know that this is a scary thing for you, I don't know what your going through exactly, but we're here for you." Astrid said, looking at Valka's face as she took one of her hands. "Every step of the way, I promise."

Hiccup nodded encouragingly, putting a hand on Astrid's that rested on Valka's, "every step." Was all he said, before he and Astrid were pulled into a hug by Valka,who found new tears to shed.

Hiccup pulled his mother close, humming a song as he stroked her shoulder. Humming his parents song to his frightened mother, unsure of how else to make her feel safe.


	2. Chapter 2

Word spread throughout the village like wildfire, and by morning everyone knew. Valka didn't like the attention, pulling her hood onto her head and ignoring the stares as she made her way to the Arena. A lot of children were waiting for her, climbing on Cloudjumper and asking questions. Valka answer them, until she ran to a bucket and began to throw up.

"No class today, I don't think Valka can handle it." Came Astrid's voice as she and Hiccup landed in the arena.

"I'm fine, dears." Valka said, taking a shaky step to Cloudjumper. The dragon let out a confused noise, trying to decide how to pick her up, before Valka stubbornly climbed up on her own. Cloudjumper slowly rose up before flying out of the enclosure at a slow pace, wanting Valka to be comfortable, deciding to take her home. That seemed best.

* * *

_Alpha's Nest, same time_

Stoick sighed at his handy work. It had taken him longer than expected to get the ship ready, but now he could sail home. He scavenged what little edible vegatation and fish he could from the area, hoping it would be enough to last him until he reached Berk. It would take him a long time, as no dragons inhabited the island anymore so he couldn't ask for their help, so he would make do with what he had on hand. A sigh left him as he stared out at the wide open sea. He had a long journey a head. So, with a mighty push off the island, he set sail for Berk.

_Open Ocean, one month later_

Stoick, for all his stubbornness, had gotten lost during a few storms and encounters with ... less than friendly wild dragons. He just refused to admit he was lost, however. What he was going to admit, though, is that he was running out of food. "Why me?" Stoick asked himself, trying to find his way in the sprawling ocean, the Nest was now far beyond his sight. He was lost, alone, but unwilling to give up. That was when he felt something rock the boat within the calm water.

"Oh yeah, this is preferable.." Stoick said sarcastically, watching something circling the boat from just below the waters surface.

That's when something popped up from the water. It was a large, deep blue dragon with a silver underbelly, yellow eyes and a large set of teeth.

"Thornado?" Stoick asked from his place on the deck, seeing the large dragon. He stood up slowly and held his hand out to him, "remember me, old friend?"

The dragon's thin pupils became round, hearing the voice, before what could only by described as a dragon's smile came to the face of the Thunderdrum. The creature climbed onto the boat, rocking it with each step, and resting it's snout on Stoick's large hand. It was Thornado, and this recognition was what caused Stoick to smile. "Thornado," he removed his hand from the snout of the dragon, "I'm lost. I can't find my way back to Berk, back home. Can you help me?"

Thornado nodded, at the ready for Stoick to climb onto his back. He was more than happy to be Stoick's ride back to Berk, this was the happiest day of his life.

Stoick quickly grabbed the sack containing the two masks as well as Valka's shield before climbing onto Thornado's back. "Go, Thornado!"

And up Thornado went, letting out a victorious roar as he steered himself in the direction of home before going there. But, all was not golden rings and poetry, as Thornado and Stoick were attacked by a pair of wild Thunderdrums as soon as they got off the ship. They fought them off, but Thornado wound up getting hurt and leaving them on the ship. That's when a familiar shape, to Stoick at least, was soon flying to them. As Thornado began to show signs of agitation, Stoick pat his crest.

"Easy, Thornado, that is a friend." Stoick said as the dragon was revealed to be Valka's Stormcutter, whose name Stoick couldn't remember, flapping his wings with a curious tilt of his head.

Stoick, for all his fears about this creature for a majority of his time raising Hiccup, held a hand out. It was met with the gentle nudging of a large nose.

"Can you bring us to Valka?" Stoick asked, receiving a nod. He tied a few ropes to the front of the ship and the other ends to Valka's staff, allowing for the ship to be tugged along, before giving it to him. "Go." Was the simple nodded request, and just like that they were off.

* * *

_Berk, same time_

Valka had started to show, being five months along now, it was apparent that yes.. she was actually with child. The kicking and movement was the first thing to tell her, but the bump confirmed it for everyone else. She became more and more annoyed, however, with the amount of attention she was getting from her bump. Why couldn't people just leave her be? She was already dealing with mood swings, was unable to keep foot down, in constant pain in her feet, and Cloudjumper was refusing to take her flying at their usual pace: hurtling through the air at speeds strong enough to knock over a standing ox. Now, though, because of that and her unable to stand on Cloudjumper's back for very long, the flights were somewhat slow, somewhat boring.

This gave Valka time to nap when she needed it which was often. But when she wasn't doing that, she was knitting clothes for her baby that was due some time in the next few months. It was a good stress reliever, she would admit. There was also dinner with Hiccup and Astrid, when the two could make it early enough. Sometimes Valka had Cloudjumper take her to the Hall to get some dinner when Astrid and Hiccup took too long or weren't at home. Today, while Cloudjumper was out hunting food for himself, she was laying back against her pillows in bed, asleep with Hiccup's Terror named Sharpshot curled up beside her. She was dreaming of a day when she would meet Stoick again, have him spin her around, kiss her lips.. Be together for eternity.

* * *

Hiccup sighed, resting on a large rock on the beach with Astrid as Stormfly retrieved some fish for lunch for Toothless and herself. Hiccup watched the two, laughing slightly as they splashed water at each other. "They look like they're having fun."

Astrid nodded before leaning on him. "Yeah, I think they are too."

It had been an exhausting day, the two were relaxing after having rebuilt a few feeding stations because the twins destroyed them, as to how, no one knows and neither was talking, repaired some of the houses because Snotlout and Hookfang set them on fire by accident and just clearing out things due to clutter on the island and to prevent mold to crops and the like.

It was Astrid who saw it first. "Hey, Hiccup?" She asked, focusing on the dragon moving towards them.

"Yeah?" He asked, almost asleep.

"Is that.." Astrid trailed off before grabbing Hiccup's spy glass and taking a look. "Beard of Thor!" She stood up. "Come on!" She rushed to the dragons and hopped onto Stormfly as Hiccup got up, confused at her excitement.

"Astrid, what is it?" he rushed to Toothless, hopping on him and then the two took flight. But Hiccup got his answer soon. "No way.." He could see Thornado, flying to them. And on his back was- "Dad!"

The three dragons met in the middle, Stoick smiling and having tears in his eyes as Hiccup locked Toothless into place via his tail and jumped down to him, hugging him with Astrid following suit.

"Dad!" Hiccup couldn't believe it, smiling as he pulled back. "How? We set you out to sea.."

"Well son," Stoick smiled, "I caused such a ruckus that they threw me out of Valhalla."

Hiccup nodded, before realization dawned on his face. "Mom is going to lose her mind when she sees you."

"I know. Where is she?" Stoick wanted so dearly to hold Valka in his arms.

"She's at home," Hiccup said, before quickly continuing, "Dad! Wait! There's something I gotta tell you! It's an important thing!" He said, Toothless gesturing down to the with his head to keep Cloudjumper from flying off.

"What is it? Did somethin' happen?" Hiccup's face made Stoick panic a little.

"Keep an open mind as to what your about to hear, and think back long and hard to what happened before this." Hiccup said as Astrid caught up with them.

"Okay, what is it." Stoick was getting tired of this game.

"Well, we found out a few months ago that.." Hiccup was struggling to actually say it, "when mom came back she uh.."

"Valka's pregnant and the only person that the father could be is you." Astrid said, summing up everything.

Stoick felt him heart stop. "V- Val's pregnant?" How? Most woman around Val's age and even older were unable to have children. Most of them, but apparently except for Val.

Hiccup nodding. "Yeah, and she's at home sleeping." He laughed, "whole things got her tired out by this time most days anyway."

Stoick nodded. "C- can I go see her? We'll sort out everything later. Right now I have to see her."

Hiccup looked at Astrid, who nodded, before turning back to Stoick. "Okay. Take Cloudjumper to the house, we'll get Thornado to Gobber so he can be looked at."

Stoick nodded before looking at Thornado. "I'll be back to check on you later, I promise." At Thornado's nod, Stoick jumped onto Cloudjumper's back before the dragon took to the sky, moving along towards home.

When Stoick's arrival was noticed, Cloudjumper was flocked by people before he touched down. Stoick slid off of the dragon before pushing past people to get into the house. "Val!" He threw the door open and moved inside, looking around for Valka. When he didn't receive a response, he rushed to their room. The sight of Valka asleep, her relaxed figure breathing in and out, it brought relief to Stoick when he saw her sleeping, alive and with the bump. Oh, he'd forgotten about the bump. The baby.

He reached a hand down and slowly put a hand on her stomach, feeling the bump. The kick told him that it was alive, it was real. That's when he looked up to see blue eyes staring at him, wide and afraid.

"Val.." Stoick spoke in a soft tone, tears in his eyes.

"_S- Stoick_.." Valka had tears in her eyes as well, letting out a sob when she threw her arms around Stoick's neck. "Please don't be a dream.. Please be here.."

"I am, Val. I'm here.." Stoick held her close, careful of the baby, softly hushing her.

"I'm afraid." Valka whimpered, gripping his shoulder as the tears fell freely. "I.. I don't think I'll have the strength in me when it's time.."

Stoick softly hushed her again, tucking her head under his chin, "I'm here now Val. And I'll give you all the strength I have in me when it's time. I promise I'll never stop coming back home to you."

Valka continued to cry, holding his chest plate to keep him there with her.


	3. Chapter 3

Valka was beyond happy, her dearest husband Stoick was back, Hiccup and Astrid were to be married soon, and she was almost six months along with her new baby. Her baby..

Valka groaned as she finished throwing up her dinner, getting to her feet and walking on an uneven step to Stoick, who waited for her. "I don't think the bairn liked that."

Stoick laughed softly, smiling at Valka in an amused way. "Well, I'm surprised that it doesn't when Hiccup did."

"That" was some smoked eel, Val couldn't get enough when she was pregnant with Hiccup. But this new baby.. Val sighed, moving to sit by Stoick at the fireside. Gobber, Astrid, and Hiccup, along with their dragons were nearby.

"What? That's a lie!" Hiccup said, raising his fork in Stoick's direction.

"You only have yourself to blame for that." Valka said, taking a drink of her tea. At Hiccup's face, Valka continued, "you determined what I ate, I didn't like it."

"She really didn't." Stoick laughed loudly, getting a sigh from Gobber.

"Aye." Gobber said, leaning on Grump.

Valka rolled her eyes, leaning on Stoick. "Let's talk about something else. I wanna hear something else.." She said, and the others had no choice but to abide by her whim. Odin help them if they didn't.

The conversation shifted, to a lot of things, and Valka eventually dosed off. She leaned on Gobber, who slowly pushed her onto Cloudjumper. The dragon made the gentlest chatter noises at Valka's stomach. Stoick was speaking to Hiccup and Astrid in a hushed tone.

"I uh.. I have a strange request." Stoick said, looking at Hiccup and Astrid.

"Oh come on dad! Nothing is a strange request." Hiccup was hushed, they looked over to see Valka sleeping. Hearing her gentle snores and Cloudjumper's pleasant chatter over the crackling fire.

"Anyway.." Stoick took his helmet off, showing the genuine emotion on his face. His beard had been rebraided by Valka, who ran out of yarn earlier that day and needed something to do. "I was wondering if.. I.. Ugh.."

"What?" Hiccup asked, looking at his father's flustered face.

Stoick sighed again. "Oh, forget it."

"No way, Stoick." Astrid said, before going to Valka and putting some furs over her before going back to them. "Out with it."

Stoick groaned. "Okay, well.. I was thinking maybe I could get you to bless my remarrying of your mother?"

Hiccup choked on his mead, spewing it out and turning to watch Stoick move in a flustered manner. The idea of his father remarrying his mother, now after almost a month of being home with a baby on the way, it was ... a great idea.

"Of course." Hiccup said with a wide smile, laughing as his father squeezed him in a hug. "It'll be great! We'll make it so we can include the dragons and all of Berk and.." as they rattled on with wedding plans, Gobber joining in, Gothi made a surprise visit. She said not a word as she sat next to Valka, her terror flock cuddling against the larger dragons, as she took one of her hands.

"Gothi.." Valka's voice, soft and afraid, rang out as her hand recognized the touch of the elder who took her in from her earliest days.

"I'm here, my girl." Gothi said softly, moving the fur over Valka's shoulder. "Rest now, rest for the time being."

Everyone else had turned to watch the two.

"What's the story with those two?" Astrid asked, genuinely curious.

Gobber looked at Stoick, who looked conflicted. "Stoick, I think it's time to tell them."

Stoick sighed, looking from his best friend to his son and daughter-in-law. "Okay.." He looked to the starry sky before looking to the others. "Valka, she isn't from Berk. Gothi found her on the beachs shores, in a water soaked whicker basket." Stoick sighed again. "There were rumors that Valka was possibly a peace offering to Berk. Some said that she was the child of a merchant, who cast her off because she was born so small. That she was born a.."

"A hiccup like me?" Hiccup asked, looking back to Gothi and Valka. He tilted his head as he saw Gothi wiping tears from a now awake Valka's eyes.

"Aye, lad." Gobber said, watching as well. "By all reports, she was actually smaller."

"Well, that explains Hiccup." Astrid said, looking to Valka and Gothi as the short woman made sure Valka had enough covers on her.

"Hah.." Hiccup didn't say anything else, just watched as Gothi tenderly cared for Valka the way any mother would her child. That was something to consider. "Did you ask Gothi for permission to remarry mom?" Hiccup asked quietly.

"Yes, I did actually." Stoick said, feeling proud of himself. "I've got the bumps from the knocks of approval."

Hiccup laughed, "Gothi and her staff explains why mom has one."

"Indeed." Stoick said before yawning. "I think it's time for bed." He walked over to Valka and Gothi. "I'm sorry to cut this short, ladies, but it's bedtime."

"I don't wanna go.." Valka said stubbornly as Stoick gently picked her up.

"I know Val, but it'll be better for you if you sleep in a bed." Stoick said softly. "Say goodnight to Gothi, eh?"

"Night.." Valka said through a yawn, fighting her exhaustion as she held a hand down to her adoptive mother.

"Rest well, my girl. I'll check on you tomorrow," Gothi said with a smile, taking Valka's hand in hers tenderly. She looked to Stoick, "be careful with them."

Stoick nodded to Gothi, "I will be." He said before walking with her inside.

After the two went inside, it left Gothi to look at the others who stared her down.

"I'm just going to uh.. Come on, Grump! Time to go home!" Gobber called to his dragon before the two left.

Hiccup smiled widely at Gothi. "Goodnight Grandma Gothi." He said as the small woman mounted her gronckle. His humourous goodbye was met with a smack to the back of the head from Gothi's staff before she flew back to her hut, the pack of terrors behind her.

Astrid laughed at Hiccup's flustered face before walking inside.

* * *

Valka awoke to the smell of delicious food coming from the kitchen, filtering up the stairs. She hummed in discomfort, sitting up, without Stoick beside her. She emptied her stomach for the morning, washed and redressed for the day. A gentle moan left her, not liking the feeling of the maternity dress. Why did these things need to exist? They were so uncomfortable and they made her feel so weak and.. A knock came to the door.

"Val? Are ya awake?" Stoick's voice came through the door.

"Yeah.." Valka said from the bed, looking at her mask that hung on the wall like some ornate decoration. It had been many months since she had worn it, hadn't even dared to think of going back to get it.

In came Stoick, walking in with a tray of breakfast and a pep in his step. He was humming their song, setting the tray on her lap. "For you, my love, breakfast in bed."

Valka laughed softly, starting to eat. "What's the occasion for this, my love?"

Stoick smiled at her, watching as she wiped a bit of egg from the corner of her mouth. "Well," he moved the tray aside, looking at her face. "I was wondering if you would be my wife again." he took her hand, moving on to one knee, "will you, Valka the Dragon Thief, marry me?"

Valka leaned down, best she could, and kissed his lips. "Yes!"

Stoick smiled as he stood up, holding Valka gently in his strong arms. "I won't let anything short of Ragnarok separate us again Val." He promised, staring at her face.

* * *

Hiccup, over a plate of eggs and a mug of mead, hummed as he looked at the ceiling, hearing his parents cries of happiness and Stoick's dancing around the room.

"We really need to move out.." Hiccup said with a sigh as Astrid sat next to him.

"At least your mom can't get pregnant again.." Astrid said, causing Hiccup to choke on his mead.

"Thanks, Astrid." Hiccup said.

A grumble was heard from outside, must have been Cloudjumper wanting to fly. "Go for a solo fight, Cloudjumper. Mom's staying on the ground today." An indignant noise was the response given before a mighty flap of wings was heard followed by Cloudjumper's telltale roar.

The day was filled with plans of the wedding and everything. It was planned to be held after the birth of the baby, as Valka refused to wear the dress while still with child, and to give some time to pass after Hiccup and Astrid's wedding.

Things were passing by quickly after that, a flurry of new dragons from far away lands arriving for the migration, set for that winter. There was even a white dragon that piqued Toothless' interest.

Valka called naming it as soon as it was spotted, deciding quickly on the name Dewflake. Her reasoning was the dragon was as white as dew and pretty as a snowflake. After some time with Dewflake, she had come to accept Hiccup as being a part of Toothless, and wanted to be Toothless' mate.

Soon the dragons left for their mating grounds, Toothless being given a tailfin that mimicked his own before flying off with Dewflake to the Isle. Cloudjumper was the only one who stayed, he had no mate and no desire to find one it seemed. He decided Valka's baby was much more important, and helping out Hiccup was fun because he had a flight partner again. Even if he had to have a saddle for the human.

* * *

All was well until one chilly morning as the fall snow began to fall, Valka woke up screaming so loud that the rest of the house fell out of bed. "Stoick!" It was time.

"Oh gods!" Hiccup rushed into his parents room, panicking. He saw his mother wraithing in pain. "Astrid! Get the midwife! Hurry!" He called before going to his parents bed. "Dad, stand by mom and hold her hand." He said, going to the edge of the bed.

"Are you sure you've got this, son?" Stoick asked, barely being heard over Valka's screams.

"Everyone keeps telling me I have to protect my own, so that's what I'm doing. Now please shut up and let her hold your hand."

After some time, Valka had successfully given birth. She had weak afterwards but still had the strength to hold her child, a daughter with flaming red hair and bright blue eyes. Hiccup, after throwing up, decided that he and Astrid should give his parents some time alone with her.

"You okay?" Astrid asked, falling back to sit on the bed.

"No, I'm gonna go..." Hiccup trailed off, fainting face first onto the floor.

In the coming days, there was a celebration of Stoick and Valka's baby, who they named Frigg as she was much beloved. The celebration ended just in time for Hiccup and Astrid's winter wedding. Within a few more weeks after that, all the dragons and their babies came back.

Toothless and Dewflake had a clutch of four, two boys that were faded black both with mismatched eyes, one that was black with blue eyes and another that was white with orange eyes.

* * *

"This, my love, is Berk." Valka said as they dismounted Cloudjumper, Frigg in a basket on Valka's back.

"It snows nine months of the year here.." Stoic said, dismounting Thornado to stand beside them. He removed Frigg and kissed her plump cheek.

"And it hails the other three." Hiccup said as he and Astrid stood beside them.

"Anything that grows here, we're tough and don't go down easy." Astrid laughed, watching the small dragon hatchlings flutter about the cliffs edge in play.

"The only upside here, aside from the dragons, is our family." Valka said as everyone, the humans and dragons, moved close for a family hug.

* * *

Fic End


End file.
